Emergency auto stretcher cot



v.-A. VAN DER HYDE 2,349,023

EMERGENCY AUTO STRETCHER COT May '16, 1944.

Filed April 8, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 24%: per ale, INVENTOR.

May 16, 1944.

V. A. VAN DER HYDE EMERGENCY AUTO STRETCHER COT Filed April 8, 1942 3Sheets-Sheet 2 May 16, 1944. v. A. VAN DER HYDE EMERGENCY AUTO STRETCHEROCT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 8, 1942 INENTOR.

Patented May 16, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EMERGENCY AU'roSTRETCHER oo'r Vincent A. Van Der Hyde, Eau Claire, Wis.

Application April 8, 1942, Serial No. 438,183 4 Claims. (01. -110) Thisinvention aims to provide a novel,,combined emergency cot and stretcher,characterized by novel means whereby they may form an article capable ofbeing stowed in small com pass, the cot and the stretcher beingseparable from each other when occasion demands.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the utility of devices of that type to which the presentinvention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view,

which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides inthe combination and arrangement of parts and in the details ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood thatchanges in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, maybe made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from thespirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows, in side elevation, an emergency cot and stretcherconstructed in accordance with the invention, the device being, inshortened or telescoped condition;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the stretcher, a portion of the stretcherbeing turned back into an inoperative position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the cot;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken vertical- I. 1y through thecombined cot and stretcher, parts remaining in elevation;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on. the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan of the strtetcher, parts being broken away;

Fig. 7 is a section onthe line 'l-l of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a transversesection on the line 8-,-8

of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a top plan of the cot frame;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line Iii-4D of Fig. ll is a transversesection showing a modification in the cot frame.

The device depicted in the drawings comprises two cot frames. Eachcotframe includes, as best shown in Fig. 9, a U-shaped member .I,preferably made of tubular stock, as are many other parts of the device.The U-shaped memher i cor an end rail 2 and outer arms 3, inner arms ibeing attached to the end rail 2,

and being located in parallel relation to the outer arm The end rail 2of the member I is supplied with depending ears (Figs. 1 and 4) havingopenings ii. Depending tubular sockets 1 are by the outer arms 3 and arelocated to the end rail 2.

ubular posts 3 are interposed in the outer arms 3 and are arrangedvertically, at right angles to the outer arms.

The posts 8 are shown fi l 1 as integral with the outer arms 3, in theinterest of simplicity, but a mechanic will understand, without adetailed showing in the drawings, that the posts may form part of anordinary pipe cross or coupling. The posts 8 extend considerably above,and a short distance below, the outer arms 3, and are supplied in theirlower ends with inverted V-shaped seats 9, most clearly disclosed inFig. 5. Spring latches It are secured at their upper ends to the upperportions of the posts 8. Near their upper ends, as shown in Fig. 3, theposts 8 have side seats ll. Near their inner ends, the side arms 3 ofthe cot frame are provided with spring latches l9, constructed like thelatches Ill.

Standards l2 (Fig. 4) are vertically adjustable in the posts 8 and .aresupplied with vertically spaced openings I l wherewith the latch it) isadapted to cooperate. At its lower end, each standard l2 has atransverse flange l5, provided with upstanding, oppositely disposed ribsl6. Castor wheels I! are provided, the stocks it of the wheels beingheld for rotary movement, about vertical axes, in the posts 3.

Generally, the lower ends of the posts 3 rest on the flanges l5, andstrain is taken off the latches iii, the latches cooperating with thelowermost openings I l of the standards. The ribs it on the flanges I5of the standards l2 are received in the seats 9 that are formed in thelower ends of the posts 8, and when this relation exists, the lowermostopening M is so positioned that the latch if) can cooperate with it. If,however, it is desired to raise the upper member I of the cot frame, thelatches it may be engaged with the corresponding upper openings M.

The cot frame comprises a U-shaped member 2t, which is constructedpractically like the cot frame member l,.correspcnding parts beingdesignated by numerals already used, with the suffix a. The sockets l ofFig. 1 are omitted, the side arms 3a having openings 2! (Fig. 10) which,cooperating with the latches 19 hold the cot frame at minimum length, asshown in Fig. 1, orat full length. The arms 3a and id of the frame 20are of such diameter that they can slide longitudinally for adjustmentin the corresponding parts 3 and 4 of the cot frame memher i. I

A stretcher frame 22 (Fig. 6) is provided and comprises U-shaped members23 and 24, the side arms of the member 2d being received forlongitudinal sliding adjustment in the corresponding parts of the member23. Latches 25 on the side arms of the frame 23 cooperate with openingsin the side arms of the frame member 24 to hold the stretcher frame atadjusted lengths, the latches functioning like the latches 19 of the cotframe.

1 Near their ends, the stretcher frame members 23 and 2*? are suppliedwith depending sleeves 26, the upper ends of which are plugged, as shownat 27 in Fig. 4. The sleeves 26 receive the upper ends of the posts 8 ofthe cot frame, the plugs 21 generally forming abutments for the posts 8.The sleeves 26 carry spring latches 28, engaged in the side seats I l ofthe posts 8 (Fig. 3), to hold the stretcher frame detachably assembledwith the cot frame.

Flexible bed strips 25), made of canvas or the like, extend lengthwiseof the cot frame, and have their inner edges spaced apart, as shown inFig. 6. The outer edges of the bed strips 29 are formed into loops 3?),receiving side arms 3 and 3a, and the end arms 2 and 2a of Fig. 9, theloops preferably being held closed by snap fasteners 3!. The loops 38 ofthe bed strips 29 have openings 32 for the passage of the latches is. Atone side of the stretcher frame, the loops 30 are supplied with snapfasteners 33.

Resilient strips 40 (Fig. 8) extend longitudinally of the bed members 29at the inner edges thereof. Reinforcingstrips 4! are secured to theouter edge portions of the resilient strips 40 and to the bed members29. Anchor ribbons 42, preferably made of metal, are held by securingelements 43 between the inner portions of the resilient strips 49 andthe corresponding portions of the bed strips 29. The anchor ribbons 42'carry eyes M, through which are run connecting rods 45 (Fig. 6) havinghandles 5 at their outer ends. Although the parts 45 are referred to asrods they may be pieces of special wire having some lateral resiliency,but strong enough so that they will not be pulled out of shape by theeyes M, for example vBowden wires.

Referring to Fig. 8, it will be noted that a little slack is left in thebed members 29, adjacent to the inner edges thereof, as shown at 41.Since the members at are resilient, and owing to the provision of theslack shown at 4T, weight suddenly superposed on the bed members 29 willnot be effective to produce tearing or rupture of adjacent parts of thestructure.

In Fig. 1, which shows the device in its telescoped or shortenedcondition, one end portion of each bed strip 29 has been set free andfolded back, as in Fig. 2, and a cushion 34 overlies the folded bedstrip, which is supported on the frame parts 4 and la. At one end, thecushion 34 is connected by a hinge strip 35 with the corresponding endof a pad 36, the inner end of the .pad- 36 being connected by a hingestrip 3'! to a pad 33, the pads 35 and 38 being supported on the bedmember 29 of the stretcher frame. The pads 35 and 3B and the cushion 34have snap fasteners 39, which, cooperating with the snap fasteners 33 onthe loops 3!! of the bed members 29, hold the pads 35 and 38 in place.

In the modification shown in Fig. 11, strips 89 are held above and belowthe parts 313- and M) by securing elements SI, and have openings 82 inwhich the parts l8bwhich carry the castor wheels l'lb may be adjustablymounted.

What is claimed is:

1. An article capable of being stowed in small compass, and including alongitudinally-extensible cot frame, a longitudinally-extensiblestretcher frame, interengaging telescopic elements on the frames andcoasting to hold the stretcher frame removably in place above the cotframe and supported thereon, a cushion between the frames and supportedby the cot frame, the interengaging elements cooperating with thecushion to restrain its sidewise movement, pads pads, and a set offasteners carried by thestretcher frame, the sets of fasteners beingdetachably interengaged to hold the pads anchored on the stretcherframe.

2. An article capable of being stowed in small compass, and including alongitudinally-extensible cot frame, a longitudinally-extensiblestretcher frame, interengaging elements on the frames and coacting tohold the stretcher frame removably in place above the cot frame andsupported thereby, a flexible stretcher body connected throughout aportion of its length to the side portions of the stretcher frame, theremaining portion of the body being free and being folded to lie abovethe first-specified portion of the body, means for attaching the saidremaining portion of the body to the stretcher frame when that frame isextended, a cushion between the frames and supported by the cot frame,pads disposed in alinement above and resting upon the stretcher frameand above the folded portion of the stretcher body, a hinge connectingthe inner ends of the pads, a hinge connecting one end of one pad withthe adjacent end of the cushion, the combined thickness of the padsapproximating closely the thickness of the cushion and detachablyinterengaged fasteners on the other of the pads and on said connectedportion of the stretcher body and coa cting to hold the said other paddown on the folded portion of the stretcher body and thereby to connectsaid other pad to the stretcher frame.

3. An article capable of being stowed in small compass, and including acot frame comprising parts connected for longitudinal sliding extensionand contraction, a stretcher frame comprising parts connected forlongitudinal sliding extension and contraction, each of said parts ofthe stretcher frame being disposed above one of said parts of the cotframe, and interengaging elements on each of said parts of the stretcherframe and the cot-part therebelow and connectingthe stretcher frame andthe cot frame for extension and contraction as one piece, saidinterengaging elements supporting the stretcher frame removably abovethe cot frame.

4. An article capable of being stowed in small compass, and including alongitudinally-extensible cot frame, a longitudinally-extensiblestretcher frame, interengaging elements on the frames and coacting tohold the stretcher frame removably in place above the cot frame andsupported thereby, a stretcher body connected throughout a portion ofits length to the side portions of the stretcher frame, the remainingportion of the body being free and being folded to lie above thefirst-specified portion of the body, means for attaching said remainingportion of the body to the stretcher frame when the frame is extended, acushion between the frames and supported by the cot frame, pads disposedin alinement above the stretcher frame and resting on the folded portionof the stretcher body, to hold it in place, a hinge connecting the innerends of the pads, and a hinge connecting one end of one pad to theadjacent end of the cushion.

VINCENT A. VAN DER HYDE.

